Penstemon plant named ‘Cha Cha Hot Pink’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Penstemon  plant characterized by medium size magenta flowers in dense clusters, long bloom time, a compact, upright, well branched habit, with multiple crown from the base, clean-looking, deep green, attractive foliage, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Penstemon hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Cha Cha Hot Pink’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Penstemon, given the name, ‘Cha Cha Hot Pink’. Penstemon is in the family Scrophulariaceae. This plant originated in a controlled breeding plan to create a compact, upright, medium size, multiflowered series. The exact parents are unknown, unnamed proprietary plants. This cultivar was selected for its compact growing habit, medium size flowers in dense clusters, long flowering time, vigor, and clean attractive look. It is an ideal plant for a sunny border in full sun.

Compared to Penstemon ‘Strawberry Taffy’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,569, the new cultivar is shorter and has smaller flowers in tighter clusters, and narrower leaves.

Compared to Penstemon ‘Andenken an Friedrich Hahn’, syn ‘Garnet’, an unpatented plant, the new cultivar is shorter, with smaller, narrower leaves, and the flowers are wider and a lighter colored inside.

Penstemon ‘Cha Cha Hot Pink’ is uniquely distinguished by its:

-   -   1. medium size magenta flowers in dense clusters,     -   2. long bloom time,     -   3. compact, upright, well branched habit, with multiple crown         from the base,     -   4. clean-looking, deep green, attractive foliage, and     -   5. excellent vigor.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and micropropagation). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttings and micropropagation using terminal and lateral shoots as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a close up of a 10 month-old plant of the new cultivar in bloom in mid-June in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows the habit on a 10 month-old plant growing in the garden on a bank in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Penstemon cultivar based on observations of 18 month-old specimens grown outside in five gallon containers in full sun in Canby, Oreg. in October. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition, 2007.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Form.—Upright, branching.         -   Cold hardiness.—USDA Zone 7-10.         -   Size.—Grows to 50 cm wide and 50 cm high.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Stem number.—About 10 main stems from the crown.         -   Stem strength.—Medium to strong.         -   Stem.—Upright, grows to 40 cm long and 3 mm wide (at the             base), glabrous at base to glandular pubescent toward             peduncle, internodes grow to 2 cm long, Yellow Green 146C.         -   Roots and rooting.—Fibrous root system, White 155C, roots             easily from stem cuttings in 10 to 14 days. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Opposite.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Venation.—Pinnate, main vein on top and bottom side Yellow             Green 146C.         -   Margins.—Serrulate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate, clasping.         -   Petiole.—None, sessile.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 9.5 cm long and 13 mm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous on both sides.         -   Leaf color.—Topside Green 137A, bottom side closest to             Yellow Green 147A. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Terminal, many flowered, dense thyrse.         -   Number of flowers per inflorescence.—20 to 37.         -   Size of inflorescence.—Grows to 17 cm long and 9 cm wide.         -   Peduncle.—Strong, semi-upright, grows to 2 cm long and 3.5             mm wide, pubescent, Yellow Green 146C tinted Greyed Purple             187A in sun.         -   Pedicel.—Medium strength, grows semi-upright to 15 mm long             and 1.5 mm wide, pubescent, Yellow Green 146C tinted Greyed             Purple 187A in sun.         -   Bloom period.—Mid June to frost in October in Canby, Oregon             if spent flowers are removed. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—3.5 cm long and 11 mm wide.         -   Description.—Closed tubular, bulging, flattened ventrically,             pubescent.         -   Color.—Red Purple 60A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Zygomorphic, perfect.         -   Shape.—Tubular, bilabiate.         -   Size.—Grows to 3.7 cm long and 3.1 cm wide.         -   Corolla description.—Grows to 3.7 cm long and 3.1 cm wide;             tube is bulbous in the calyx for 5 mm long and 5 mm wide,             narrowing then widening for 26 mm and flaring to 31 mm wide,             5 lobes, lobes flare back, the two smaller top lobes each 11             mm wide and to 10 mm deep and two larger lateral 11 mm wide             and 12 mm deep, and the lower lobe 13 mm wide and 12 mm             deep, lobe margins entire to slightly jagged, tips obtuse;             outside glandular pubescent, inside sparsely pubescent;             outside color topside tube Red Purple 71A, bottom side tube             Red Purple 58A, lobes Red Purple 58A; inside color: lobes             Red Purple 58B on outside ¾, lower 3 lobes banded Red Purple             59A, tube White N155B tinted Red Purple 72A with bee tracks             on lower 3 lobes Red Purple 59A.         -   Calyx description.—7 mm deep and 10 mm wide, 5 overlapping             lobes cut to the base, each lobe ovate in shape, 7 mm deep             and 4 mm wide, margins entire, tip acuminate, base cuneate,             outside Yellow Green 146C with tinted Greyed Purple 187A,             inside Yellow Green 146C, glabrous inside and glandular             pubescent outside.         -   Pistil description.—1, 31 mm long, ovary 5 mm long and 2 mm             wide, Yellow Green 146D; style 26 mm long and less than 1 mm             wide, style Purple 72B at the base lightening to White N155A             at tip, stigma shape conical, White NN155C.         -   Stamen description.—5, one sterile without an anther, held             within the corolla 28 mm long, filaments 25 to 29 mm long             and White NN155C, anthers oval, 2 mm long, Red Purple 71A,             pollen amount moderate, White NN155C.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—A flower lasts 5 to 6 days. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type.—Capsule.         -   Fertility.—Good.         -   Size.—7 mm deep and 1 mm wide.         -   Texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—Greyed Purple 187A when young. -   Seed:     -   -   Shape.—Irregular.         -   Texture.—Glabrous.         -   Size.—2 mm long.         -   Color.—Brown 200A. -   Pests and diseases: The new cultivar is typical to the genus. No     problems have been found in Canby, Oreg. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Penstemon plant substantially as shown and described. 